Lo Ovral

Give his sperm a tough road to travel with Lo Ovral oral contraceptive

Nature has designed the female reproductive system to release an egg every month, assist the male sperm in its journey to fertilize this egg then prepare a comfy nest in the womb (uterine wall) for the little ‘zygote’ (fertilized egg) to spend 9 months developing into a human being. Well, if you are not ready for another little human being just yet, an efficient little contraceptive pill, Lo/Ovral can be relied upon to put a spanner in the works of Nature for you. Lo/Ovral contains a combination of ethinyl estradiol and norgestrel- female hormones that stop the release of your egg every month.

How does Lo Ovral roughen up the road for the sperm guys?

By making the mucous of your cervix, the neck of the womb, thicker, to slow down the sperm and also making the lining of your uterus thinner, to make it hard for the fertilized egg to grab a hold and nestle down to grow.

The main reason Lo Ovral is prescribed is to help women avoid pregnancy and manage their family planning responsibly.

Doctors may also prescribe Lo/Ovral birth control pill for the treatment of other conditions not discussed here.

Some Do’s and Don’ts you should know about the Lo/Ovral oral contraceptive pill

If you have any of the conditions listed below do NOT use Lo Ovral

• a history of stroke or blood clots, a heart valve problem, problems with your circulation (especially if caused by diabetes) or very high blood pressure
• a hormone-related cancer such as breast or cancer of the uterus
• heavy, irregular or ‘abnormal’ vaginal bleeding
• any kind of liver disease or cancer of the liver
• migraine headaches
• a history of jaundice caused by birth control pills

Pregnancy Alert

If you are definitely pregnant, have just had a baby or THINK you may be pregnant, do not take Lo Ovral.
While there are no clear studies to prove that hormones in contraceptive pills harm nursing babies, we know that anything swallowed and absorbed by a nursing mother’s body can pass into breast milk so why risk harming a nursing baby? Some women have reported a slowing down in the production of breast milk when taking oral contraceptives so the bottom line is- do not use LO Ovral if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Smoking Alert (especially for the over 35’s)

Taking Lo Ovral can increase your risk of blood clotting, stroke or possibly heart attack.
Use of added protection, such as spermicides and condoms, are always recommended when you first start taking oral contraceptives. Your doctor will advise you on the best combination to suit your lifestyle.

I’m taking a daily multivitamin, will it affect Lo Ovral?

DO tell your doctor if you take any of the drugs below.

Some self medicated drugs, yes, even herbal ones like St. John’s Wort, can reduce the effectiveness of contraceptive pills, which, of course increases your risk of becoming pregnant. ALWAYS tell your doctor which other medications/pills you are taking if you are considering asking for Lo Ovral.

Never take a new vitamin pill or herbal remedy without telling your doctor.
Here are some other brand names of common drugs that contain active ingredients that reduce the effectiveness of Lo/Ovral –

· Tylenol or ascorbic acid (vitamin C);
· Azolid, Butazolidin
· Provigil
· Decadron, Hexadrol
also some antibiotics such as:
Augmentin, Omnipen, Doryx, Vibramycin, Grisactin, Grifulvin V, Fulvicin PG, Minocin, Veetids, Pen Vee K, Bicillin, Rifadin, Mycobutin,Sumycin, Achromycin,
Robitet
also some seizure medicines such as:
Dilantin, Tegretol, Felbatol, Trileptal, Topamax and Mysoline
also barbiturate such as:
Amytal, Butisol, Mebaral or Luminal, Solfoton
also HIV medicines such as:
Agenerase, Reyataz, Aptivus, Crixivan, Invirase, Kaletra, Lexiva, Norvir, Viracept.

This is by no means a finite list, so please check your personal medications with your doctor, even if you are taking drugs prescribed by another
doctor, homeopath/naturopath.

If you wish to read the information supplied to health professionals about Lo Ovral, your pharmacist will be able to supply this.

If you have any of the following conditions you should discuss them with your doctor before taking Lo Ovral:

You may still be able to take Lo Ovral, with frequent tests during treatment but the dosage may need adjusting for you:

gallbladder disease, diabetes, a history of depression, seizures or epilepsy, irregular menstrual cycles, high blood pressure, heart problems of any kind, high cholesterol or if you are overweight, an ‘abnormal’ mammogram report, breast cysts, lumps or ‘mysterious’ nodules!

How to take your first course of Lo/Ovral contraceptive pill

Follow orders! Exactly as your doctor told you- it’s fine to order Lo Ovral online but do not increase or lessen the dose as advised on the leaflet inside the pack. If you find this particular oral contraceptive suits your body, make sure you get regular annual check ups and discuss a ‘break’ from the medication with your doctor or ‘time out’ after a while to give your body a rest.

On the first day of your period (or on the first Sunday after your period begins) take the first pill in the pack, unless your doctor has advised you to the contrary.

You take one pill each day, usually at the same time, making sure that the gap between pills is no more than 24 hours.

When the first course of pills runs out, begin the next course the following day so make sure you fill your next prescription BEFORE your current pack runs out completely!

When you start a course of Lo Ovral it is advisable to take extra precautions and use condoms or a spermicide for the first couple of months. Your doctor may indicate 3 months.
The contraceptive pack contains 21 ‘active’ pills and 7 ‘inactive’ or ‘reminder’ pills, making 28 pills per course. The 7 ‘reminder’ pills are just to keep your daily pill taking habit going.

It is when you are taking the ‘inactive’ pills that you will get your period.

See your doctor regularly while you are using Lo Ovral and re schedule any appointments you may miss.

Breakthrough Bleeding

This is quite ‘normal’ especially during the first 3 months but let your doctor know if bleeding continues or gets heavier after this time.

Are you scheduled for surgery?

If you are due to have an operation, will be on bed rest for a while or are going for some medical tests, let the treating surgeon or physician know that you are taking Lo Ovral. You may need to stop using oral contraceptives for a short time.

Lo Ovral should be stored away from direct heat, kept dry and at room temperature.